DNA proved 4-year-old girl not related to family she was living with; mother located in central Bulgaria

UPDATE: 10/25/13 – DNA tests have proven that Sasha Ruseva, a Roma women living in Nikolaevo in central Bulgaria is the mother of Maria. She gave birth to a baby girl four years ago in Greece while working as an olive picker on January 31, 2009, then gave her away when she was 7-months-old to her employers.

UPDATE: A dental exam shows that Maria is probably closer to 5-6 years old instead of 4-years-old.

It was found after Maria’s identity was confirmed that her father carries the albino gene on his side of the family.

A very long time Roma gangs, also known as Gypsies have been accused of stealing children and taken then to and from countries as part of an international criminal network.

Sasha and one of her other children

Proof that such acts were going on came out during a trial in Paris for Remus Stoian from Romania when he, along with Palos Constantine, were found guilty for organizing such a network based in Greece, where minors were used to commit theft.

Then on Saturday, photos of a 4-year-old girl that was found in Greece are now being circulated by the media after she was found to be living with a couple who are not her biological parents, reports the Daily News.

The little blonde-haired girl, who is called Maria was discovered living in a home in a Roma camp in Farsala, Greece with a 39-year-old man and a 40-year-old woman and two other children.

She was noticed by a prosecutor after a raid on illegal activities in the Roma settlement, said the Sidney Morning Herald. Because of her fair skin and blonde hair she seemed out of place with the family. A DNA test proved she was not related to them at all.

Maria’s hair appears to be brown on the ends which suggest her hair may have
been died when she was younger. After her identity was confirmed by DNA it was found the brown in her hair was actually from the dirt that stained her hands and hair that color.

Little Maria is under the care of the staff at The Smile of the Child, while authorities try to find her family. At this point they do not know if she was abducted or given away, although the couple she was living with state that her mother gave her up because she could not raise her.

Further investigation turned up information that the mother in the home where Maria was living had documents stating she had given birth to six children in less than 10 months and ten of the 14 children they said were their own, are no where to be found.

Authorities also found 10 other children during the raid they suspect are victims of child trafficking, too.

The Greek police have turned to Interpol for help in finding Maria’s family.